Source Data.xlsx

Microbial populations are a promising model for
achieving microbial cooperation to produce valuable chemicals. However,
regulating the phenotypic structure of microbial populations remains
challenging. In this study, a programmed lysis system (PLS) is developed to
reprogram microbial cooperation to enhance chemical production. First, a colicin
M -based lysis unit is constructed to lyse Escherichia
coli. Next, a programmed switch, based on proteases, is designed to
regulate the effective lysis unit time. Finally, a PLS is constructed for
chemical production by combining the lysis unit with a programmed switch. As a
result, poly (lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate)
production is switched from PLH synthesis to PLH release, and the content of free
PLH is increased 283%. Furthermore, butyrate production with E. coli consortia is switched from E. coli BUT003 to E. coli BUT004, thereby increasing butyrate production to 41.61
g/L. These results indicate the applicability of engineered microbial populations
for improving the metabolic division of labor to increase the efficiency of
microbial cell factories.